Money, money, money…glorious green cash…cha-ching! Money is a great gift for graduations, weddings and birthdays and other occasions too. If you want to present it in a different way and make your gift a little more memorable, I’ve got a few easy ideas to add visual value to those dollar bills – or whatever denomination you want to use.
My brother got married recently and I knew they’d be doing a “money dance” at the reception, so I decided to get a little creative and make something of my money! In the past I’d made some basic money lei’s for my younger siblings high school graduations, but I wanted to make this cash count and stand out in a big way.
Cash Crown
As with most of my projects, I start with an internet search of images and tutorials to get some guidance and inspiration. I didn’t have a whole lot of time to invest, so “easy” was important. For this crown, I pretty much followed these instructions.
For my brother’s “adult” crown I used 14 bills and I asked him his fitted hat size (7 3/4) to get an idea of how big his head really is! j/k Then, I used a fitted hat to eyeball and measure it out as I constructed it. This will make sense as you assemble the crown. So, depending on how big (or small) you want to make the crown, you’ll need 10-14 bills, the amount of each is up to you!
Kukui Nut Money Lei
This was the most time consuming of the 3 cash gifts I assembled. I used a kukui nut necklace and basically tied bills to the necklace using curling ribbon and also incorporated shiny gold sheets of paper alternating with the bills. I cut the sheets of paper the same size as a bill and folded them all like an accordion (that’s the time consuming part), going back and forth. I did this to add color to the lei and also because I wanted to lessen the number of bills I would need. Tie each piece in the middle and then fanned each bill out to look more like a “flower.” After that I attached them to the kukui necklace with the curling ribbon, adding a piece between each of the nuts.
Fluffy Flower Money Lei
Out of the 3 cash gifts, my “fluffy flower money lei” was probably the easiest. I simply used a silk flower lei (found at the dollar store), and tied flat bills at their center to take on a bowtie shape. If the bills are crispy they can be a little tough to tie in the center, but take your time not to rip the bill. Once I had all the bills ready, I attached a bill in between each flower, tying it on with the curling ribbon. Here’s the link to my online inspiration for this one…
Tips
- Figure out how many bills you will need, crispy bills are ideal for the cash crown and kukui nut let where you will “accordion” fold them
- Go to the bank and get the cash you will need
- Clear tape is a must for the money crown to make it secure
- Keep in mind these may be taken apart, and spent, so I was careful to keep that in mind while tying and taping each bill
